1. GOD BLESSED ISAAC Genesis 25:19-28:9 Key Verse 26:3
“Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath
I swore to your father Abraham.”

2. Introduction
God said in Exodus 3:15, “I am the God of your fathers -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”
We want to learn the faith required to bear God’s blessings.
We want to learn the reason why Isaac became one of the patriarchs of faith.
We want to learn who the God of Isaac is.

3. I. Isaac Prayed (25:19-22)
Look at verse 21. “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.
The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”
Isaac did not seek any human help.
He prayed for his wife earnestly.

4. Why Didn’t God Give Isaac a Child for Twenty Years?
It was to teach him that God’s blessings are not given naturally, but as God’s gift, according to one’s earnest prayer.
God wants us to pray, even if he promises.
By faith he prayed with thanksgiving, day in and day out, without doubting the love of God.
He must have fought against himself.

5. God Does Not Answer Our Prayers Quickly. Why?
First, it teaches us that God’s promise is fulfilled not by man’s effort but by God’s grace alone.
Second, God wants to train us spiritually so that we may become his useful servants.

6. “Why Is This Happening to Me?”
25:22, “The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.’”
Rebekah was a woman of prayer who asked the Lord about anything, even small matters.

7. God Uses Praying People
Isaac and Rebekah prayed as husband and wife.
God’s Spirit is with families where husband and wife pray together; God’s blessings and grace are overflowing in such families.
God uses praying people, praying families, praying fellowships, praying churches and praying nations.

8. II. Isaac Obeyed God (26:1-15)
In 26:2 we read: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.”
God commanded Isaac to stay in the land.
It was not easy for Isaac to stay in a land where there was a famine.
In order to obey God’s command Isaac had to go through great pain and suffering in his practical life.

9. Why Did God Ask Absolute Obedience?
It is because they could establish a right relationship with God through absolute obedience.
In verses 3 and 4, God promises Isaac blessings that would come through obedience:
“Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.”

10. What Did Isaac Do When He Heard God?
Verse 6 says: “So Isaac stayed in Gerar.”
Isaac was blessed by God because of Abraham, but Isaac himself lived as a man worthy of God’s blessing.
He obeyed the word of God at the risk of starving to death.

11. How Did the Lord Bless Isaac Then?
God was with him and protected him like the apple of his eye.
God blessed Isaac financially.
Look at verses 12 and 13: “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped
a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.”

12. III. Isaac Dug Wells (26:16-36)
It may seem that Isaac was a foolish man because he did not even fight once and gave up all the wells.
It may seem that Isaac did not have the guts to stand up for himself.
But Isaac could walk away from the wells because he had faith in God.

13. How Can We Bear God’s Blessings?
It is important to receive God’s blessings, but it is more important to maintain them.
Isaac was blessed by God, but he was not bound by the blessings.
He believed in the God of blessings and gave up many wells and dug wells diligently wherever he went.

14. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5)
Meek people are victorious even in a competitive and selfish society.
They are meek and patient because of their faith in God.
Inheritance of the earth does not come from fighting viciously.
The earth belongs to those who are meek.

15. The Lord Appeared to Isaac
“I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham" (26:24).
Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord.
 Verses show Isaac’s good influence.

16. What are the wells we have to dig in our generation?
Our generation enjoys the most material wealth in all of human history, but we are in a severe spiritual famine.
Amos said, "’The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land -- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst’” (Amos 8:11-13).
Spiritual famine is the most serious problem of our generation.

17. The Divine Obligation
We have the divine obligation to dig for the word of God and provide spiritual water for the many thirsty souls in our generation.
The word of God revives our souls and gives true satisfaction and joy to our soul (Ps 119:24,25).
It leads us to the wisdom of salvation and gives us the hope of eternal life (2 Ti 3:15; 1 Pe 1:23,24).

18. The Well of God’s Love
There are many people who cry because they do not know the love of God.
We believers are obliged to share the love of God with those who cry in our practical lives because we have received his love first.
Let’s pray that we can provide a well of God’s word and God’s love for thirsty souls.

19. IV. Isaac Handed Down God’s Blessings to Jacob (27:1-28:9)
Isaac knew that Esau was not suitable for God’s blessings because he was a physical man, but he lost his spiritual discernment because he loved wild game.
With the help of Rebekah, Isaac could hand down God’s blessings to Jacob.
Isaac accomplished his mission of inheriting the great promise and history of his forefather and of handing them down to his son Jacob.

20. Who Is the God of Isaac?
The God of Isaac is the God of blessings and the God of grace.
The Lord helped him and strengthened him whenever he needed help, so that he could live a victorious life in a wicked, fallen world.
It was only through the grace of the Lord that Isaac could live a victorious and fruitful life in such an evil world.